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March 2 1926. Y

K. BOcHER METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND CONSERVING HOISTCABLES Filed May 5,

- Invenlor;

Ka'r/ jo'kler Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1,575,526 A'TENT FFlCE.

m 36cm, OF BRAMJBA'UEB, GERMANY.

IETHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CLEANING A ND CONSE RVING E0181 GABLES-Appllcation Med May 5, 1925. Serial No. 28,184.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL Biionnn, a cltizen of Germany, residing atBrambauer, Germany, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements inMethods of and Apaaratus for Cleaning and Conserving Hoist ables, ofwhich the following is a specification.

. My invention relates to a method of, and 0 apparatus for, cleaning andconserving hoist cables, particularly cables used in mines. My novelmethod comprises the following successive stages which may be performedin a single continuous operation: cleaning the cable, drying it,applying a conserving preparation such as varnish to the cable, anddrying said preparation.

Generally, hoist cables require a fresh coating of preparation withindetermined periods, for instance, eight weeks for new cables and fourweeks for old ones, unless the conditions of operation, wet shafts, aeidmine water, etc., require a more frequent treatment of the cables.

The preparation is a plied by means of a piece of cloth or a brus but inthis method those parts of the cable which are mostly exposed tofailure, that is, the fine partitions of the profiled strands, areinaccessible to the preparation.

It is an object of my invention to overcome this drawback by injectingthe said preparation into the finest crevices of the cable throughsuitable nozzles, and, preferably, drying and cleaning the cable beforeapplying the preparation, and drying the preparation when it is on thecable, by hot air from similar nozzles.

With my novel method it is possible to treat a cable in about an hour ascom ared with a duration of three or four days in the old method.Moreover, the treatment is very eflicient because the finest crevices ofI the cable are thoroughly filled with the preparation and saidpreparatipn sticks to the cable very firmly as 1t is immediately dried.

In performing m method, compressed and, preferably, hig ly heated, air,is directed on the slowly moving cable through annular or other nozzlesfor a certain distance and the air so ejected cleans mechanically thesurface and the crevices which are open toward the outside of the cable,and,

at the same time, dries and heats the cable.

The air nozzles or the set of air nozzles, as

the case may be, is followed by similar nozzles or a set of nozzlesthrough which a mixers of heated preparation, varnish or the like, andpreferably heated compressed air, is sprayed on the cable. Thepreparation readily adheres to the cable, is uniformly distributed overits surface and enters the smallest crevices between the wires. It isdried by means of a second set of air nozzles like the first whichproject cold or heated compressed air on the cable. so that thepreparation adhering to the cable is dried and its stickiness removed.The nozzles or sets of nozzles are preferably arranged directly abovethe shaft openin or hi her up, as desired. Means should e PIOVldEd forpermitting a slight lateral dis lacement of the ap aratus so that it maya apt itself to the w ipping of the cable.

In the drawings, I have illustrated devices in which my novel method maybe performed.

Fi 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of the comp ete apparatus,

.Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, and

Fig. 3. is a plan view of a set of nozzles.

Fig. 4. is a-sectional plan view of a modilied nozzle arrangement. 7

Referring now to Fig. l, 1 is a pi e line conveying a fluid underpressure, for instance, compressed air. 2 is a branch pipe whichconducts the air from the pipe line 1 to a heating coil 3' in a heater3. A burner 4 may be provided at the base of the heater to whichcompressed air is supplied through an extension 4' of the pipe 2.. Theend of the coil 3 is connected to a pipe 11 which opens into a tank 8containing the preparation with which the cable is to be treated,varnish or the like. An extension 5 of the pipe 11 is fitted to a sortof injector 5' to which reparation from the tank -8 is supplied t rougha pipe 9. The delivery pipe 5 of the injector 5 is connected with t espraying apparatus 6. A heating coil 10 to which steam is supplied froma header 10" through a pipe 10, may be provided in the tank but it willbe understoodthat any other heatin means, for instance, an electricheater, may employed. A branch pipe 18 supplies heated an under pressureto the air spraying nozzles or sets.

In Fig. 1, only the central or preparation spraying nozzle 6 is shown.The complete 1 nozzle apparatus is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Itcomprises two sets of air nozzles, 60 and 61, and the afore-mentionedset of preparation nozzles 6.

Each nozzle body is divided at its centre so as to, permit its beingplaced over the cable which is indicated at 13, and a packi strip 15 isinserted between the two halves which may be secured together by anysuitable means such as screws, not shown.

Compressed air from the pipe 18 is supplied to each nozzle body 60 and61 through pipes 20 and 20, respectively. These pipes connect withannular chambers 19, 19', respectively which are provided with upwardlydirected lips 31, 32 in the lower body 61 and with downwardly directedlips 22 an 23 in the upper body 60. The central openilg of the body 60is flared at the bottom at 1 The central body 6 is connected with theinjector delivery pipe 5 by pipes 26, 26 which open into annular spaces27, 27 at the top and bottom of the nozzle body. Hollow nuts 24 and 30are screwed into both ends of the body 6 so that adjustable slots 28,28' are formed through which the mixture of air and preparation isdirected toward the cable 13.

The spraying apparatus is supported by bolts 37 and nuts 36 which areinserted in the eyes of flanges 35 at the several bodies. Obviously, anyother means may be provided for connecting the bodies. The central body6 is shown suspended on rollers 7 on a track 16 so that the apparatus isfree to yield laterally. The pi e connections from the injector 9 andthe branch 18 must be flexible to permit this. It will be understoodthat any one of the sets of nozzles may be so supported and that theresiliency may also be obtained by other means.

The operation of this apparatus is as fol-- lows: Air under pressure isheated in the coil 3' and supplied to the bodies 60 and 61 as described.The air flows in downward direction in the body 60, and in upwarddirection in the body 61. The cable is moving downwards. Any dirt, rustor other matter which the air in the body 60 detaches from the cable, isdeflected by the flaring opening 17 at the bottom of the body and theconical top 25 of the nut 24 so that it cannot get into the sprayingbody 6. Here, the mixture of preparation and hot air is ejected in adownward direction by the slot 28, and in an upward direction by theslot 28. After the cable has been sprayed with pre aration in the body 6it is dried in the body 61 where the air flows in counter current to themotion of the cable.

It will be understood that it is somewhat unconvenient to have to dividethe entire apparatus including the nuts 24 and 30 every time it is to beused, and to reassembleconserving preparation, a pipe line it about thecable. This drawback is overcome by the apparatus shown in plan view andpart section in Fig. 4.

Here, compressed air or a mixture of such air and preparation, is suplied to an annular i pe 40 at 41, 41. Ra ial nozzles 44 with perorations 45 at. their inner ends extend from the annular pipe 40radially toward the centre where the cable 13 is moving. The ends of thepipe 40 do not meet but leave a space 43 through which the ap aratus maybe placed over the cable 13 a ter one of the nozzles in the vicinity ofthe openin 43 has been turned aside. This nozzle is bent at 44' and,when it is in its normal position as shown in Fig. 4, the band is turnedtoward the cable with its perforations 45.

I claim:

1. Method of cleaning and applying conserving preparation to cablesconsisting in blowing fluid under pressure on to the cable, spraying apreparation thereon, and blowing fluid under pressure on tosuchpreparation on the cable.

2. Method of cleaning and applying conserving pre aration to cablesconsisting in heating a uid under pressure, blowing it onto the cable,spraying a pre aration thereon, and blowing such heated uid underpressure on to the preparation on the cable.

3. Method of cleaning and applying conserving preparation to-cablesconsisting in blowing fluid under pressure on to the cable, spraying apreparation thereon through the medium of such fluid, and blowing suchfluid onto such preparation on the cable.

4. Apparatus for cleanin and applying conserving pre aration to ca les,comprising a tank adapte to contain a supply of conserving ipreparation,a pipe line adapted to receive uid under pressure, an injector connectedwith said tank, pipes connecting said pipe line with the space above thepreparation in said tank and said injector, and an annular spray nozzleadapted to surround said cable and connected with said injector.

5. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conservin preparation to cables,comprising a tan adapted to contain a sup ly of conserving reparation, apipe line adapted to receive uid under pressure, an injector connectedwith said tank, pi es connecting said pipe line with the space a ove thepreparation in said tank and said injector, an annular spra nozzleadapted to surround the cable an connected with said injector, andannular fluid nozzles adapted to surround the cable and connected withsaid pipe line.

6. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving preparation to cables,comprising a tank adapted to contain a su ply of apted to receive fluidunder pressure, annular spray ing a tank adapted to contain a sup ly ofconserving preparation, a pipe line a apted to receive fluid underpressure, annular spray and fluid nozzles adapted to surround said cableand connected with said pipe line'and said tank, respectively, and meansfor adjusting the free area of said nozzles.

9. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving preparation to cables,comprising a tank adapted to contain a supply of con-, serving fluid, apipe line adapted to receive fluid under pressure, annular spray andfluid nozzles adapted to surroundsaid cable and connected with said pipeline and said tank, respectively, and means for displacing said nozzlesto yield to the whipping of vthe cable. Y

10. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving preparation tocables, comprising a tank adapted to contain a supply of conservingreparation, a pipe line adapted to receive uid under pressure, dividedannular spray and fluid nozzles connected with said pipe line and saidtank, respective] and means for connecting the parts of said dividednozzles so that saidnozzles will surround the cable.

11. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving preparation tocables, compris 12. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conservmpreparation to cables, comprising a tan adapted to contain a supply ofconserving reparation, a. pipe line adapted to receive uid underpressure,- a divided annular spray nozzle connected with said pipe lineand said tank, divided annular fluid nozzles arranged co-axially aboveand below said spray nozzle and connected with said ipe line, and meansin saidfluid nozzles for directing the fluid issuing from them inopposite directions.

13. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving preparation tocables, comprising a tank adapted to contain a supply of conservingreparation, a pipe line adapted to receive uid under pressure, adivided. annular spray nozzle connected with said ipe line and saidtank, divided annular Ellld nozzles arranged co-axially above and belowsaid spray nozzle and connected with said pipe llne, and means forlaterally deflecting v the fluid issuing from said upper fluid nozzle. 7I

14. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving preparation tocables, comprising a tank adapted to contain a supply of conservingpreparation, a pipe line adapted to receive fluid under pressure, anannular spray nozzle connected with said ipe line and said tank, andannular fluid nozzles arranged co-axiallyabove and below said spraynozzle and connected with said ipe line, and radial branch pipesextending om the perimeter to the centre of said annular nozzles.

15. Apparatus for cleaning and applying conserving! preparation tocables, comprising a ta adapted to contain a sup 1y of conservingpreparation, a pipe line a apted to receive fluid under pressure, apartly open annular spray nozzle connected with said pipe line and saidtank, partly open annular uid nozzles arranged co-axially above andbelow said spray nozzle and connected with said pipe line, and radialbranch pipes extending from the perimeter to the centre of said annularnozzles, one of said pipes being arranged near the open portion of saidannular nozzle,-bent at 1ts inner end and adapted to berotated about itsaxis.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

KARL BO HER.

